In the Space Between
by khughes830
Summary: Time Team is separated by a nameless, heartless force of evil (that's you NBC) but one when of their own needs help, they slowly find their way back to each other. This is a Garcy story when it comes down to it, with Riya and Jess/Wyatt too.
1. Chapter 1

Me. Dealing with my sadness at the cancelation/no wrap up movie/no more Garcy moments.

* * *

She pried her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, like she had every morning for the last year. A year. She couldn't believe it had been a year since that last moment, when some strange man had changed her life. Again.

 _The pounding in her head was what woke her up. She groaned, rolling over, pressing her hands into her eyes, willing the pounding to just please stop._

" _Not to worry. The headache will be gone in about an hour." She gasped, opening her eyes and looking in the direction of the voice. The strange voice she had never heard before. He sat across the room from her in a chair. She quickly looked around – this sterile, non-descript, hospital looking room._

" _Who are you?" she basically screamed at him._

" _No one you have to worry about, Ms. Preston. We won't be seeing each other again after today."_

 _She pushed herself up to sitting, running her hands through her hair. No windows in this room. Not even in the door. The only other thing besides her and him in this room was the IV in her arm._

" _What is that?" she asked, pointing at the bag of clear liquid hanging above her._

" _The cause of your headache."_

 _Suddenly the panic of the location of the rest of the team hit her like a Mack truck._

" _Where is everyone?" She felt the panic start to bubble up in her stomach. If she was here…_

 _The strange man waved at her. "I would imagine waking up like you are right about now. But before you get any ideas in your head, they aren't here. Every one of you have been separated."_

 _Separated. No Wyatt or Jiya or… Flynn…_

" _Why?" she breathed out._

" _Because of what you all have spent the last two years doing. Same for those Rittenhouse people. The power you all wield with knowledge and time travel is dangerous. You all had to be stopped. So we did."_

 _She just stared as he pushed himself out of his chair. "Ms. Preston, please understand. We know your team did good. You saved parts of our history. But I can't help wonder what is different too because of what you all did. What parts of history you did change just by being there. We couldn't let that continue."_

" _Who is we?"_

" _That's not important. And it's classified. You don't have that clearance."_

" _If you think that we…"_

 _He held up his hand. "I absolutely do think, Ms. Preston. And let me tell you why. Because right now, you all get to be free. Live the lives that… well, that we set up for you all. Consider this witness protection, but like the really good kind. The kind where we will be monitoring you and you will never know it. Names and locations have changed. Except yours of course. We need to keep Lucy Preston, the last living heir to Rittenhouse, as is. Just in case anyone gets any ideas. We have that card in our back pocket. I'm telling you just like my counterparts are telling your friends right about now too. So they all know." The look on his face led her to believe that yes, they were all being told but that it was being stressed to one team member more than the others._

" _You stay in your lane, you stay free. You don't? Well, I don't think it would take much to label you and your band of merry time travelers terrorists. Especially one Garcia Flynn, considering in some circles, he's still the number one suspect in the death of his wife and daughter."_

 _She felt like she could throw up. "He didn't…"_

 _The guy just shrugged. "Oh. I know. But that doesn't mean we won't burn him in an instant to keep you behaving." She had no response. This guy was so cold and to the point that she had no other option than to believe what he was telling her._

" _I want to get out of here."_

 _He nodded and she watched him press a small button he had been holding in his hand. She felt the warmth of the drugs flow out of the medicine bag and thru the IV into her blood. "Yes, Ms. Preston, we can make that happen. Very soon." Before she could respond, she fell back against the bed, closing her eyes once more._

When she woke up, she was here, in this apartment. Instructions on where she was expected and who was expecting her and that was it. She kept to herself, staying guarded. She felt like she didn't have a choice. They had a whole back story about a research sabbatical for the two years she had been out of teaching. So, she pushed into this life she had been dropped in to. No sister. No mother. No team. A few acquaintances throughout the department and some nosy neighbors that she was able to keep at an arms' length. But her loneliness was growing and her memories seemed to be starting to fade. She rolled herself out of bed, walking into the bathroom. She stared at her reflection as she brushed her teeth.

 _That last night they were all together. Rufus had FINALLY been discharged by the medical team. Coming back to a timeline where he no longer existed had effects they hadn't known about or planned on. There had been some touch and go moments with him, but he was finally on the other side. Denise had thrown caution to the wind and taken them out to celebrate at some dive Mexican restaurant not too far from the bunker. They knew they were getting ready to leave it behind, but it was still nice to be out. They all ate and drank and took a moment to just relax together. She found herself sticking close to Flynn. Sitting next to him as they ate. Sharing margaritas with him. Even letting him pull her up to dance to the mariachi band as the evening was drawing to a close. She pressed herself next to him in the car as they rode back to the bunker. She thought maybe what she was feeling was a mixture of wishful thinking on her part and the effects of the alcohol until he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and started running his fingers through her hair._

 _Even as they walked back to the bunker from the car, he kept his arm around her shoulders and she relished in the warmth of him. They slowed up, falling behind the rest of the group and he stopped her before they walked back inside._

 _She turned and smiled up at him. "I had fun tonight."_

" _Me too. My toes are barely complaining."_

" _Twice. I step on your feet twice while dancing and I will never hear the end of it!"_

 _He shrugged. "You probably won't." She laughed and grabbed his hand, squeezing it. He looked over her into the bunker._

" _I'm not going to miss this place."_

" _Me neither" she replied._ _Then she remembered that night in his bunk, when they talked and drank. It felt like he was too with the way he was looking at her._

 _He shrugged. "So maybe it wasn't all bad." She nodded slightly, swaying into him. He caught her, his hand resting on her hip, pulling her in just a bit closer. "Lucy" he whispered. She yanked on his hand, pulling him down till their lips met. There was no rush, no stress. Just a light, sweet kiss with a promise of more._

 _He pulled back, squeezing her hip. "Tomorrow is moving day. We need to get some sleep. But once we are settled…" he trailed off, his eyes darkening for a second. She knew._

" _Absolutely" she replied._

She sighed, splashing water on her face. There was no after. She went to bed, a smile on her face and a hope of the next day and the day after with Flynn. But when she woke up, it was in that room with that man. And it had been a year. A year where she woke up every morning thinking about him. She shook her head, walking back to get dressed for the day. Something had to give. She wasn't sure what or when, but she had this pull in the pit of her stomach that she needed to get back to him… to all of them. Soon.


	2. Chapter 2

And so it begins.

* * *

"Good morning Lucy". Lucy glanced up from her book, taking in her boss standing in her door. The department head. The man who was her first point of contact when she showed up here at the time the instructions told her to be here. Some days it felt like he was her ally. Others, her spy. She always felt on edge, especially with him around.

"Good morning, Steven."

He smiled at her, walking in and taking a seat in her guest chair. It was the somewhat creepy smile that made her feel uncomfortable. Or maybe she was paranoid. No. She was definitely paranoid. Such was the nature of her life these days.

"I keep telling you that you need to relax, Lucy." She laughed in that uncomfortable manner like she always did when he made that joke. Which was pretty much daily.

"What can I do for you this morning?"

"I hear you haven't RSVP'ed for the university gala yet." She stared at him blankly. He cocked his head and for a moment, she could pretend that it was him. She felt relief and terror all at the same time. She did her best not to think of him, but sometimes he would just pop into her head. Like he had just dropped into her life.

"What?" she managed to choke out.

"The gala. It's Friday night. I got an email this morning about staff that haven't RSVP'ed yet and your name was on the list." Hearing her name was on any list made her want to hyperventilate, but she worked very hard to control her breathing.

"I'm not sure I ever saw the…" she trailed off as Steven reached over to the pile of mail on the corner of her desk and plucked out the unopened envelope. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Here it is" he replied, waving it in his hand. He handed it to her and she opened it, staring at the invitation to a large gathering, the kind of thing she had spent the last year actively avoiding.

She racked her brain, trying to come up with a reason to not go, but the way she had isolated herself left very few of the normal reasons off the table. No husband, no family, no kids. Just her. In a small apartment. She was sunk.

"You need to take care of that before your first class. It's an important event. I let it slide last year because you had just started, but it's the biggest money maker for the endowment and all faculty and staff are expected to attend." She nodded, eyes blurring as she continued to stare at the paper in her hand. She heard him get up and move toward the door. She looked up at him slowly as he paused.

"I have gathered social situations aren't your thing. And the hotel where this is being held can be hard to find sometimes. If you want someone to walk in with, I'm available."

She did her best not to react. She plastered a smile on her face. "Thank you, Steven. That's sweet. But I think I will be ok." He just nodded and left her office.

 _Shit._

* * *

She was finally able to break free of the group and of Steven, who kept parading her from donor to donor, having her show off her historical knowledge. While she had been able to arrive alone, he had been waiting for her. His constant presence was making her feel trapped and guarded. And a little fearful. Her escape to the bathroom finally gave her a chance to breath. She leaned against the wall, right inside the door, closing her eyes for a moment. It was quiet and seemingly deserted in the bathroom. She entered the stall, just taking a moment. She froze when she heard someone else enter, afraid for a moment Steven had sent someone in to find her, to drag her back out to him.

She heard a stall door down at the end close and she let out the breath she had been holding. She exited the stall, staring at herself in the mirror. She knew she looked rough. It's why she didn't tend to look at herself much anymore. The stress and fear caused her to not eat a lot, not get a lot of sleep. It was starting to wear on her, starting to show on her face and in her head. She needed something to give. She stared down at her hands, trying to find some balance to move forward.

"I love that color on you." Lucy froze. It took a moment for the voice to reach her brain and register the familiarity. But once it did, she knew everything was about to change. She slowly rolled her head up, staring straight into the mirror.

And right at Jessica Logan.

She hadn't seen Jessica since Chinatown. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry at seeing a familiar face or bash her head on the countertop for all the pain and chaos she had caused for her team. A part of her blamed Jessica for their separation. She was about to open her mouth and let loose a string of blame and cuss words, but something in Jessica's eyes warned her. She could see it clear as day.

 _Don't. You can't. Play along._

Lucy could only watch as she walked up to the sink, washing her hands like it was a casual day. She paused, watching Jessica fluff her hair.

"Where did you get it?" Lucy just stared at her in the mirror. Jessica nodded. "The dress. It's such a pretty color and a good cut."

Lucy just shook her head, staring back at her. "I don't remember. I've had it for a while."

"Shame. I was hoping to find something just like that." The door opened and another woman strode in, staring at Jessica. Lucy froze. The woman glanced at her but paid her no attention.

"Let's go."

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, just let me reapply my lipstick please." The other woman rolled her eyes and just watched her as she dug a small tube out of her purse, applying it and quickly dropping it back in. Lucy stood straight up, finally meeting her eyes. Jessica turned toward her, quickly glancing down at Lucy's feet, then back up at her.

"Enjoy your evening." And with that, she was gone. Lucy just stared at the spot where Jessica had been standing, trying to decide what the hell was going on. And that's when she noticed it, out of the corner of her eye, small white piece of paper on the floor next to her shoe. Lucy glanced down and picked it up, unfolding it.

 _Please help. Find the team. Save us. Tell Wyatt it's a girl._

Lucy ran out the bathroom door, scanning the room for Jessica. She maneuvered as quickly as she could through the different rooms, but to no avail. Jessica was gone.

She stopped at a large window, looking at the parking lot, hoping to see someone walking. But there was no one there. She jumped and yelped when she felt a hand on her elbow. She turned to see Steven standing behind her.

"Everything ok, Lucy?" And she knew it wasn't. She just shook her head. Consequences be damned. She had spent the last year towing the line, scared to act on anything. No more. She had tried to go back to how she had been before the day she walked into Mason Industries. But in this moment, she knew she couldn't ever be the person she was before that day.

"I have to go" she breathed out, running away from him and out into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

For a moment, she felt like a wild animal escaping her enclosure. Her eyes kept darting around the mirrors of her car as she drove faster than she had in over a year. The thing about the fear she felt – it was real to her. It kept her in line. No speeding. Always tipping the right amount. No crossing against the light, etc, etc. Follow the rules and keep her head down. But she must have ran away from that when she ran out of the fundraiser. She was even driving barefoot, having thrown off her shoes in the parking lot as she ran to her car. She was heading home, knowing she had to do something. She had no idea what that something was but she was hoping it would just come to her when she got to her apartment.

She parked crooked in the parking spot, leaving the car unlocked as she ran to her door, glancing behind her the whole way. She threw the door open and stumbled inside, letting go of the breath she had been holding as the door closed behind her. She collapsed against it, trying to get her bearings.

And as she did, she realized something was off. Nothing looked off, but she has this feeling creeping up her spine that someone was in her apartment. She took a few steps forward into the small living room and glanced around, inhaling sharply as she noticed a dim glow coming from her bedroom. The bedroom she knew she hadn't left a light on when she had left a few hours ago.

She took a step and the floor creaked and she froze as she heard someone move in her room. A figure appeared in her doorway and she thought it was a ghost. Until it spoke.

"About time Lucy" Jiya said, smiling at her. The tears she thought were going to fall upon seeing Jessica did start at the sight of her friend. She quickly crossed to her, throwing her arms around her friend as Jiya responded in kind.

"Oh my God!" Lucy cried out. "This is real, right? You are here."

Jiya pulled back, nodding her head. "I am. But we can't stay here. You've got to pack everything you can fit in a few bags and we have to get out of here."

Jiya moved back into her bedroom and Lucy noticed her computer, which had been giving off the glow she had noticed from the living room. It didn't look like any computer she had ever seen Jiya with before. Jiya looked at her staring at the computer.

"I had to build it from scratch. Lucy. You have GOT to start moving or I'm going to pack for you." Lucy nodded and started to move. The way Jiya was acting and the frantic pace at which she was packing up her own things lead her to believe that they needed to get out of here and it needed to be now. Lucy quickly moved around the room, grabbing her two duffel bags and all the clothes and other things she could fit in both. Jiya kept check the time on her computer.

"Are you done? We need to get out of here." Lucy stopped, staring at her friend, shaking her head. "Jiya, what in the hell is going on? I need you to tell me…"

Jiya grabbed Lucy, turning her toward the computer screen. It was a video feed of the party she had just left. She held her breath as she watched Steven walking around the party.

"How long did it take you to get here, Lucy?"

"About 20 minutes."

She watched as Steven approached a man in a dark suit. Something about him gave Lucy the creeps. Steven whispered to the man in the suit and he took off. Jiya cut to another camera and showed her the man running out the door.

"This was from 5 minutes ago. We need to be gone before that guy gets here. We've got to move. Now. We have a 10-minute window." Lucy nodded, grabbing what was left and threw it in her bag. She grabbed her purse and her keys, but Jiya took them and threw them across the room. She did the same with the phone she held in her hand but she dug the wallet out of Lucy's bag. "We are taking my car and I have a phone for you in there. Let's go."

Lucy followed Jiya as she ran to a car down the block. A non-descript black something or other. Lucy didn't really notice. She just threw her bags in the trunk and got in. She barely had the door closed before Jiya pulled out onto the road.

Lucy looked over at her friend. Really had a chance to look at her. She seemed tired and on edge. "Jiya…"

Jiya shook her head. "Not yet. I swear, Lucy, I will tell you everything, but not yet. We need to criss cross town so you can hit ATMs and take out as much money as you can off of all your cards. And then we need to ditch the wallet. Cash only for the next few days. If we need a card, I've got one. But I try not to use it unless we have to."

So Lucy sat quietly as Jiya drove around town, stopping at ATMs at different banks until Lucy had amassed a few thousand dollars. Jiya pulled into a park and found the nearest trash can, throwing the wallet in it and she headed toward the interstate. For 30 minutes, Jiya drove and Lucy just sat there in silence. She watched her old friend keeping watch out of all the mirrors but not acting erratic. Lucy laughed in her head. She had spent the last year doing the same thing.

Eventually, Jiya pulled off the interstate and into an area with several hotels. She parked in a lot, at the back and motioned for Lucy to follow her. Lucy grabbed her bags and started to head to the hotel at the front of the lot, but Jiya hissed at her. "This way!" So Lucy followed her through a row of bushes and into the back lot of a motel next door. Jiya glanced around and quickly made her way to the building. Lucy understood. With outside entrances and no need to enter through a lobby, they could be invisible. Which is apparently what Jiya intended. They stopped in front of the first door they came to Jiya quickly opened it, motioning Lucy inside. Jiya shut and locked the door behind her and flipped on the light. Lucy looked around. Definitely not the nicest place in the world, but not the worst either, consider she used to time travel to some of the roughest times in history.

"Love the accommodations" she said, trying to break the tension. Jiya laughed. "They take cash and don't ask a lot of questions." Lucy sat down on one of the beds, watching her friend secure the door and making sure the windows were locked and blocked.

"This is all very cloak and dagger for you Jiya." Jiya cleared her throat, not really looking at Lucy. "I may… well… I may have had some help." Lucy looked at her confused. Jiya collapsed on the opposite bed, breathing for a moment before sitting up, resting her back against the headboard. She rolled her head over to look at Lucy.

"Shit it's good to see you." The tears started to fall again. Cause Jiya was right. It was so good to see a familiar face that could be trusted. They both cried for a minute until Jiya shook her head, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Ok. You have questions. Shoot."

Lucy laughed. "It really is just one. What the hell is going on?"

Jiya sighed. "I wish I even knew where to start. Did you wake up in a room with some asshole in a suit telling you crazy shit?" Lucy nodded. "Yeah, me too. When I woke up again, I was in this condo and that was it."

"Me too."

"So, I just towed the line for about 6 months. Trying to figure out what was going on and why and if there was a way out. And then, one night, I'm laying at home watching Netflix and my phone dings. It was a notification about someone commenting on a post from this Battlestar Galactica message board I didn't think even existed anymore. I hadn't been on it in years or whatever. I had forgotten I was even a member until that moment. I thought it was just spam so I ignored it. Then I got 5 more in the span of 10 minutes. So I checked. At first, it was just directions on how to build that computer. Told me to respond with a certain GIF once I got it done. What can I say? I was intrigued and bored, so I did it. Took me about a month to get all the parts and build the thing. So, once I got it done, I did and then I got a message to start using the new computer. What the hell at that point, right? Even if I got busted by these covert dicks, I decided it would be better than living like I was. Alone and scared. I logged in through the new computer and kept waiting for someone to bust in the door and drag me away. But they never did."

Lucy was enthralled. "So… who was it?"

Jiya pressed her lips together, taking a moment. "Well… at first it was all anonymous. I wasn't sure if it was someone I knew or a good Samaritan or what. Turns out it was someone I knew. I wasn't sure at first. But as the messages went… it just felt familiar. And then the messages turned to a plan. That's when I insisted on knowing who it was on the other end. If I was going to stick my neck out, I needed to know who was pulling the strings. So I said as much. I just got a picture. No clue what it was at first. So, I searched. Finally found it. It was a picture of the Zagreb National Theater. That's when I knew."

Lucy thought her heart had stopped for a moment. "Flynn" she breathed out. Jiya nodded.

"Flynn. Once I realized that, I knew I was going to do whatever he said. Hence all the cloak and dagger stuff tonight. He's the one who told me exactly what to do and how to get you out. He is the one who sent me the info on how to hack into the CCTV feed from the event tonight. He… Lucy, he knew Jessica was going to be there. I don't know exactly everything he knows, but he told me that tonight would be the start of getting all of us out of this." Lucy felt her heart thudding in her chest. She thought it was so loud she was sure Jiya could hear it too. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Now what?" she choked out. Jiya laughed.

"Well, I was told to make sure you ate. Because, as it was sent to me, 'she's looking too thin'. First we get food. There is a diner around the block. Lots of greasy, home cooked food. Save room for the pie. Then we come back and shower and sleep. Tomorrow is a long day." Jiya stared at her friend and smiled slightly. "I totally lost you at she's looking too thin, didn't I?"

Lucy shook her head. "He's… he's seen me? Is he nearby? Can I see him?" Jiya shrugged. "Honestly, Luce, I have no idea. We've only communicated in message board texts. I don't know if he's around the corner or across the world. But everything he has told me to do has lead me to you and getting away from my guy and your guy. I know that he's looking out for us. If we follow his plan and do it the way he says, we will be safe."

Lucy ran her hands through her hair. "Jessica talked to me in the bathroom earlier. I was hiding from my boss in the bathroom and I was standing at the sink and there she was. There was this gruff woman with her. I bet money it's a bodyguard, babysitter type person. Anyway, she dropped a note at my feet as she left. She's lucky I saw it."

Jiya's mouth dropped open. "What did it say?"

"Find the team. And tell Wyatt it's a girl."

"Shit" Jiya whispered. Lucy could only shake her head in agreement. "Ok, well, that explains what we are to do next."

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Denise. It's going to take most of the day but we have to drive to Denise."

"But doesn't she have the same kind of… supervision… that we did? Won't we get spotted?"

"I've been lead to believe that Denise's watchdog has been… let's just say taken care of. And these guys are so covert they only check in once a week. I got told yesterday that I had a week to get to you and then to get to Denise. So we have 6 days before anyone realizes what's going on. Even your guy. He knows by now you are gone but from what Flynn has told me and what I've dug up myself, they have no way to communicate except for this once a week drop. So we will have a 6-day head start."

"So let's go now!"

Jiya shook her head. "No. Flynn said we need to stay put tonight. I don't know why but he has yet to lead me astray. We go get food and we sleep. Trust me. Once the adrenaline wears off from all of this, you are going to crash. Hard. We need sleep to function tomorrow."

Lucy fell back on her bed. Flynn. Looking out for them from who knows where. "I want to see him, Jiya. The last time I saw him…"

Jiya grinned. "Yeah. The sexual tension at dinner almost made it uncomfortable." Lucy threw a pillow at her. "Lucy, I have to believe we will see him when it's time. Him to me. Me to you. Us to Denise."

"Rufus?"

Jiya nodded. "I know where he is. He knows I'm on my way. He's waiting. Flynn told me as much."

"Good."

Jiya stood up. "Ok. Food. Showers. Sleep. And tomorrow…"

"Denise" Lucy replied. Jiya shook her head and headed for the door, Lucy right behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

"My driving isn't THAT bad" Jiya sighed as she put the car into park on the quiet, dark street. Lucy opened her eyes. It had been a long day of driving – back roads, hills and turns, sketchy places on the side of the road to pee and get food and gas By hour 10, her back hurt, her stomach rolling every time they went over a hill and she was done.

Lucy glanced around – most houses were dark for the night. She glanced at her watch. 11:10 PM. A few street lights and some porch lights were all that lit this neighborhood.

"This is where Denise lives?" Jiya nodded and pointed. "Four houses down on the left."

Lucy started to open her door when Jiya grabbed her arm. "Not yet".

"Jiya, there is no one out."

"Yeah, but you see that big light at the corner, by the house?" Lucy looked and nodded. Jiya threw open her computer and pulled up a screen. Lucy was looking at a view of the house from what was obviously a camera on that light.

"Christ" she whispered. Jiya closed the computer and grabbed her bag from the back. She glanced at her watch. "OK, we need to go. Now. He was adamant about the timing." Lucy hurried out of the car, following behind Jiya. They got within one house, keeping to the dark of the yards when Jiya stopped short. "Wait".

Lucy froze and looked at her watch. The light of the house next door to where they were headed shut off at exactly 11:15.

"Damn, he's good" Jiya said, moving along in the darkness until they reached the front of the house. Lucy moved toward the front but Jiya grabbed her arm, pulling her between the bushes. They emerged into a small backyard.

"Now what?" Lucy asked. Jiya shrugged and was about to pull out the computer from her bag when they heard a door creak open.

"You two better move. That grouchy old man turns that light back on at 11:20 cause he swears that is when burglars like to do their thing." Lucy wanted to cry at the sound of Denise's voice from the basement door. They hurried through the door and Denise closed it behind them, looking out the window before pulling the shade over it.

She turned toward them and smiled. "Hi" she said and opened her arms as they both launched themselves toward her. "Are you two ok?" She asked. They both pulled back a bit and nodded.

"Tired. Hungry. In desperate need of a shower and some sleep but otherwise ok." Lucy said. Denise turned to Jiya. "You followed?"

"Not that I could tell. I followed his instructions to the letter." Denise nodded.

"Well, I can help with the food and the shower and the sleep since I have been told we all need to hunker down here."

"For how long?" Jiya asked.

"24 hours. I got a message that just about 11 tomorrow night we will get our window to leave."

"And go where?" Denise shrugged. "Not sure. Got some coordinates about 10 minutes ago and instructions to open the back door at precisely 11:15 PM."

"It better be to Rufus" Jiya sighed, hiking her bag up onto her shoulder. Denise smiled.

"I can do you one better." She motioned for them to follow her down the small hallway. It opened into a finished great room and they stopped short in their tracks. There, sitting on the couch, were Rufus and Wyatt. Jiya yelped and Rufus barely had time to get to his feet before she launched herself at him, forcing him back down on to the couch with her in his lap. Wyatt pushed himself up off the couch and moved over toward Lucy. She opened her arms to him and he hugged her. For a moment she relished being in the presence of her friends, of feeling a moment of safety for the first time in over a year.

"What? How?" She couldn't even put together a full sentence as she held on to Wyatt like he was a life raft.

"We got here about 30 minutes ago. Rufus beat me by a few minutes." She held on to him tightly but then it all hit her. She remembered there was something else.

"Jessica!" She exclaimed. She pulled back to see Wyatt's face. "What?" He asked.

"Jessica. I saw her."

"Where?"

"I was at this event… Lord, was that only a day ago? Anyway, I went to the bathroom to escape my creepy boss and she was there. Real cryptic and everything. Someone was there with her. She managed to drop me a note."

"What did it say?"

Lucy pulled it out of her back pocket, having the good sense to grab it before they left her apartment. She handed it to him and he read it quickly. He immediately went into pacing mode, running his hands through his hair.

"We have got to figure out where she is. We need to go. Now."

"NO!" Jiya yelled, as she stood up. "No. We finally have each other back and a chance to get the hell out of this mess. We will do what we are told!"

"Why? Because Flynn said so" Wyatt yelled back at her.

"He hasn't steered any of us wrong yet and he's managed to give us some lead time. Yeah, we are going to do what Flynn says" Jiya replied, hand on her hip.

"Not everyone is even here" Lucy said quietly. They all froze, looking at her. "Is he?" She asked, hoping that Denise had one more surprise up her sleeve, but Denise shook her head no slowly. "I'm sorry, Lucy, he's not."

Lucy looked at the ground, willing the tears to not fall. "Bathroom?" She managed to choke out. Denise pointed down the small hallway and Lucy took off, not bothering to look back. She closed the door, turned on the light and sat on the edge of the small bathtub, covering her face with her hands, letting out the tears of frustration and fear that she had been holding in for longer than she could remember at this point.

She heard the door creak open and felt someone sit down in front of her. She looked through her fingers to find Wyatt looking at her.

"Please don't start."

"I won't."

"I can't listen to you rail against him right now."

"I wasn't going to." They sat in silence for a few moments.

"A girl?" He whispered.

"That's what the note said. I honestly think she is just as screwed as we have been over the last year. But with a baby to contend with to. I can't even imagine." She finally pulled her eyes up to his face. He was staring at the wall over her head.

"We are going to find them, Wyatt." He nodded and looked at her. "I know we are. I just had a moment of weakness out there. I know we are. I was promised that…"

"What?"

Wyatt sighed. "I was promised that if I kept you safe over this next little bit, my family would be safe too. And that this would all be over and I can be with them."

The tears started to fall again. "Why am I the only one that hasn't heard from him?"

Wyatt shrugged. "I don't know. He's got his reasons. It could be…"

She just stared at him as he trailed off. "What?"

"He's got a mission right? He needs to complete his mission. I've been there. You try to turn off everything else to get the mission done. It works the best. I guess… I guess he knows that we will keep each other safe until the mission is over and then… I guess he figures…"

Wyatt didn't finish that sentence, not that she needed him to. Always the soldier, always doing what he thought was right, regardless of how the rest of the world saw it. Always being Garcia Flynn.

Wyatt groaned as he pushed himself off the floor, holding his hand out to her. "Come on. There's a ton of food and plenty of places to sleep. Denise needs to talk to all of us before you two crash."

Lucy nodded, wiping her hands on her face. She smiled up at her friend. "I really am happy to see you, Wyatt. You all… I've thought about you all every day since the last time we were together."

"Me too, Lucy. Me too. And we are going to end this thing once and for all so maybe we can all socialize like normal people."

"Who have met Lincoln." Wyatt laughed and nodded. "Yes, who have met Lincoln." He threw his arm over her shoulder and they walked back into the living area.

"All better?" Denise asked. Lucy nodded and sat down. Rufus pushed a plate of food to her and smiled a sad smile at her. Lucy looked up at Denise and for a moment, felt like they were back in that bunker, about to get details of a mission. She laughed to herself – they kind of were.

"Can I ask…. Where are Michelle and the kids?" They all looked at Jiya as she asked, it occurring to all of them in that moment that they seemed to be alone.

Denise laughed. "Funny thing. It seemed I won three all expense tickets on a 10 day cruise out in international waters. You know, where it's harder to get to people. They left yesterday for Miami. Cruise leaves tomorrow."

"Flynn is better than you" Rufus said, elbowing Jiya in the side. She scowled at him. "He's going to show me that trick when this is all over" she grumbled.

"So, here's the deal. I'm officially off work with the flu. A really bad case apparently. I've got to bumble around here tomorrow like the walking dead and you four have to stay in the basement. It's the only place in the house without windows. There's a small bedroom in the back, the couch pulls out and I've got some air mattresses. Believe it or not, groceries magically appeared yesterday so there's plenty of food in that little kitchen area."

"Chocodiles?" Rufus asked. Denise nodded. "The man thought of everything!"

"We have to be ready to go tomorrow night at 11 PM sharp. We will know when."

"And where are we going?" Lucy asked.

Jiya's computer dinged. "That never gets less creepy" she said, pulling it out of her bag. She quickly fired it up and opened the attachment – coordinates. She plugged it into a location service and they all just stared.

"That's the middle of nowhere" Rufus said.

"That's probably the point" Wyatt replied. "This feels like the ending, doesn't it?" They all nodded.

"OK, so here's the plan" Denise said. And for the next 90 minutes, they lobbed things back and forth to each other till they seemed to have a solid plan for getting from point A to point B. Lucy could feel her eyes drooping and Jiya had already fallen asleep on Rufus' shoulder.

Wyatt looked around. "We need sleep. Denise, you need to get up to your room now. I'll take the air mattress, Rufus and Jiya can have the large pullout bed and Lucy, you go take the day bed in the back." No one had the energy to fight.

Lucy stumbled back, not even bothering to take off her clothes. She kicked her shoes off and crawled under the covers, falling into a heavy sleep.

* * *

She rolled over, glancing around for a moment, not really remembering where she was. She ran her hand over her face as the door creeped open. She froze for a moment.

"It's just me Lucy" Rufus said. She let out a sigh of relief and remembered – Denise's basement. Wyatt and Rufus and Jiya. 11 PM tonight.

"What time is it?"she asked.

"Just after 1. We all just woke up. I guess living under the thumb of some assholes in black suits is mentally and physically exhausting. Jiya is emptying out the frig. Something about not knowing when we will get real food again. I told her we could pack a cooler of what's left but…" Lucy had pushed herself out of bed and had thrown her arms around her friend while he was talking. He sighed, hugging her back.

"I missed you too, Lucy." She slammed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall.

"I'm so happy you and Jiya found each other." He pulled back, resting his hands on her shoulder. "Thank you for getting her here."

"That's more like the other way around. She pulled me out of there and…" Lucy stopped.

"Flynn sure is going to a lot of trouble to make sure we all got together before heading out on this… either rousing success or suicide mission." Lucy smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You know, part of me always thought you and Wyatt would…"

Lucy shook her head. "Our moment passed. He's got a daughter. He deserves to have his family. And I deserve…"

"Someone who picks you first? Someone who will move heaven and earth to keep you safe? Someone who seems to enjoy calling you his wife more than he probably should?"

"That only happened a couple of times" Lucy replied, rolling her eyes.

"Still" Rufus said, smiling at her. "Look, we probably need to take this day one step at a time. First – food. I'm starving. I'm sure you are too." Lucy nodded.

"And then a shower. 10 hours in a car. Doesn't really work for you". Lucy elbowed him in the stomach. She followed him out to the main room to see a spread. For the next 10 hours, they caught up and tried to relax but they were always keeping an eye on the clock. The sunset and Denise was finally able to get back downstairs with them. From there it was pins and needles. At 10:45, they were packed and sitting there, waiting for… something.

"This is frustrating" Lucy said, staring at the clock. She would swear time was moving slower than normal. Finally it hit 11 PM and they all froze, bags and other supplies. The clock ticked one minute, then two. When 11:03 came, Lucy growled. And then, the lights went off. Denise ran back upstairs and came back almost as fast.

"All the lights in the neighborhood are out. Even the street lights. We are dark. This is it. Let's go." She threw the back door open, heading out into her yard.

"Let's finish this shit" Jiya said, nodding at Rufus and Wyatt.

"We're coming Garcia" Lucy said under her breath, pulling the door closed behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

They rounded the corner and Denise pulled some keys out of her bag, hitting the alarm. A large black SUV halfway down the block beeped in reply.

"We need to hurry. Apparently the power will be back on in 7 minutes, including that camera that is watching your house. We need to be gone by then" Rufus yelled from the back of the pack. They all turned to look at him and he held up his phone.

"Blocked text message" he said, shrugging. Lucy huffed loudly but continued forward. They all threw their things in the back of the car and piled in, Denise jumping into the driver's seat and bringing the car to life.

"Full tank of gas, official plates – we are out of here." With that, she peeled away from the corner and into the darkness. They hit the interstate as the lights in Denise's neighborhood came back on.

"OH SHIT" Denise yelled, keeping an eye on the road in front of her and behind her.

"What?" Lucy asked from the back.

"I left the lights on in my bedroom. That camera is going to pick up on that and…". Jiya pulled out her computer, going back to the feed of the house. "All good" Jiya said. "No lights on anywhere in the house. From the outside looking in, you have the flu so bad you didn't notice the power going out."

"But…" Denise said quietly.

"Fucking Flynn!" Lucy yelled, punching the back of the seat. They all paused, staring at her, the only noise being made in that moment was the car on the road.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry" she said as she exhaled. She opened her eyes and looked at all of her friends. Jiya gave her a sad look but no one else thought it was a good idea to try to respond.

"OK" Denise said, merging into what little traffic there was at this time of night. "Where to Jiya?" Jiya looked at her computer.

"Head west for…. Ok, everyone, get comfortable. We are going to be in this car for awhile." They all groaned, but settled in.

* * *

Throughout the night and into the morning, they all took turns driving. Really only stopping for gas and snacks, they pushed on through the morning and into the afternoon. Wyatt was at the wheel, Lucy in the front seat for what they thought might be the end of this drive.

Rufus groaned from the very back of the car, looking out the window. "Oh. So this is what they mean when they say the middle of nowhere. When was the last time we saw anything but trees?"

"About 40 minutes" Denise replied, also rubbing her hands over her eyes.

"We are almost to the coordinates" Jiya chimed in, staring intently at her computer. "Take a left in 500 feet and drive straight for about 2 miles and that's it."

"Just tell me when" Wyatt said. They all sat straight up, looking around. "Here" Jiya yelled. Wyatt slammed on the breaks and they all stared left, seeing nothing.

"Jiya, there is no where to turn" he said, looking at her in the rear view mirror. She shrugged back at him.

"Uh…." Lucy pointed. They all stared. "There" she said.

"You mean that gravel thing between those two tree? Will this car even fit?"

"You see anywhere else to turn, Wyatt?" Lucy said, eyes wide. They all shook their heads. Wyatt sighed and turned the car, doing his best to keep it on the gravel as they pushed through the trees. "This last two miles is going to take forever" he said, moving the car forward.

And it did. An hour later, the path opened up into a clearing. With a large house. Wyatt pulled the car up in front and they all stared at it.

"Who the hell builds a house out here?" Rufus asked.

"A damn nice one at that" Jiya chimed in.

"Should we get out?" Rufus asked. Denise groaned. "You all can do what you want. I've got my gun. I'm getting the hell out of this car."

They piled out and froze as the front door started to open. "Took you all long enough". They all started to laugh and Denise took off up the steps, enveloping Connor Mason in a huge hug. One by one they all walked up the steps, saying hello to him.

"Come on, you all need to get inside. Just cause we are in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean we should be hanging around outside. Plus, you all need showers."

* * *

Several hours later, they found themselves around the table, bellies full and minds relaxed, thanks to the beer and wine that was plentiful that night. They all had showers and overdue sleep, which is how them found themselves still sitting at the table at it closed in on 11 PM. Connor had been regaling them with the tale of how he came to be here.

"So, you've actually laid eyes on Flynn, is what you are saying?" Jiya asked. Connor nodded.

"Yes."

Lucy immediately darted her eyes around. "So where the hell is he?"

Connor motioned over his shoulder. "There is a small guest house out back, that's where he usually stays…" Lucy didn't bother to listen to the rest. She immediately shot out of her chair and started to move.

"He's not there, Lucy!" Connor said before she could get more than three steps away from her chair. Defeated, she sat back down.

"Then where is he?" Wyatt asked.

Connor cleared his throat, seeming to sober up at the question. "I wasn't really supposed to get into this until tomorrow but…" they all stared at him. Hard.

"The 'creepy assholes' as Jiya has so lovingly dubbed them… their base is on the other side of that mountain. Jessica and the baby are up there too. Flynn… once he got the ball rolling three days ago, he packed up some camping stuff and just left. I have a feeling he's out there till this is over."

"Is it?" Denise asked. "Is it almost over?"

Connor nodded, pushing himself out of his seat and moving into the small alcove between the dining room and the kitchen. He pulled a notebook out of the drawer and came back, handing it to Wyatt.

"He told me to give this to you. That you would make sense of it. Could make sense of it. That you were the one to help him finish this thing." Wyatt stared at it for a moment before opening it, flipping through the pages.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

Wyatt was quiet for a moment, flipping through the pages, eyes wide. "It is almost over" he whispered, moving back and forth through the pages. "It's a plan. It's how we gain entry to their… whatever… and get Jessica out and… blow it up?" He quickly flipped through the last few pages a few times. "Yup. Once we are clear, we blow the place up. Shit, Flynn." Wyatt's eyes darted between all of them, finally resting on Lucy.

"The man has spent some time on this."

"The last 10 months at least, if not longer" Connor replied.

"But how do we actually succeed? We can't just walk in there with my hand gun and our charm?" Denise asked.

"Flynn may have spent the last 6 months amassing quite the arsenal in the basement" Connor shrugged, finishing the last of his beer.

They all shot up from the table at the same time. "Way to bury the lead, Connor!" Rufus yelled. They all hurried to the basement. Connor followed, turning on the lights. And in the corner, a large array of weapon. Wyatt whistled. "Nice" he whispered under his breath.

"I'm assuming what's missing is what Flynn took with him?" Denise asked. Connor just nodded. "I'm assuming. I didn't see him when he left. He left me a note and was gone."

"Typical" Lucy muttered. Connor rested his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure this is only going to be a consolation, but know… Lucy, there wasn't a day he didn't mention you or think about you over the last year. All this? He did all this so you could live an actual life. One on your terms, not someone else's. That was his whole goal." Lucy nodded, fighting back tears. She took a deep breath , taking just a moment to feel sorry for herself. Almost over she said in her head. And then… who knew. But it had to be better than this.

She shook her head. "Ok. Wyatt. What's the plan?" He looked over at her. "Let's go back upstairs and I'll try to unpack it as best I can. We have to be ready to move at sunset."

* * *

"Everyone in position?" Lucy heard Wyatt ask through her ear piece. Flynn really had thought of everything. One of her first questions was going to be where the hell did all the money come from for this.

They all responded in kind, keeping an eye on their watches, all perfectly in sync, all supplied by Flynn.

"How will we know when to move?" She heard Rufus ask.

"It's been obvious up to this point, hasn't it? I would imagine that trend will continue" Jiya replied. Lucy stared intently at the large open window that she was to enter through. They all had their points of entry around the small building.

"Eyes up. 2 minutes to sunset." Lucy watched the time count down on her watch face. The sun set exactly at the time it was supposed to and she could feel them all freeze. Then, one minute after sunset, something unexpected. Fireworks. Lots of fireworks.

Lucy watched at the door next to her window open and three guys came out, all staring at the sky and point. They took off, remembering to shut the door but forgetting about the window.

"GO" she heard Denise yell through her ear piece and they were all off and running.

* * *

Lucy stood there, in the midst of the chaos, surveying what they had done. They had followed Flynn's plan down to the letter and they had succeeded. She had heard Wyatt yell over her ear piece 10 minutes ago that he had Jessica and the baby and was getting them out. Denise and Rufus had taken care of the tech hub. All that was left was to get out and blow this place to smithereens. And Lucy would gladly hit the button herself.

"I told you to stay in your lane, Ms. Preston." Lucy turned to find herself staring down the barrel of a gun. She looked up and those eyes greeted her, the same eyes from a year ago in that hospital room. Rage and anger and hatred coursed through her veins in that moment.

"Kiss my ass" she spit out.

"Oh Lucy. You may think you all have won. But you won't. And before I turn Garcia Flynn over to the CIA and Interpol, I'm going to make sure he knows he's going to spend the rest of his life in jail because of you. When social services comes to take away Jessica and Wyatt's baby, I will make sure they know it is because of you. When Denise Christopher's family doesn't make it back to the ship from a port stop, she will know it is your fault. All you had to do was live your life."

"On your terms!" She screamed at him. He shrugged.

"We all have to make sacrifices, don't we. I guess you weren't willing to make your own to…" and with that, his head exploded. Lucy was frozen. All she could hear was buzzing in her ears. Her eyes were glued to the man who had just been threatening her seconds before, dead on the ground, a bullet taking him out that had come somewhere from her left. She knew she needed to move, to run, to get the hell out of there so they could blow this place back to hell, but her body wasn't cooperating.

Suddenly she felt arms around her, picking her up, cradling her. Her ears were still buzzing, but one sentence come through.

"I've got you" she heard a low timber say before it all faded to black.


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy groaned, rolling around in the bed. She glanced around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Wherever she was was dark, except for the lone light across the room, illuminating him sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Go away" she muttered, running her hands over her face as she sat up. He glanced up, giving her a wry smile. "Hold on. I want to finish this page."

She glared at him as he finished what he was reading and closed the book, finally meeting her eyes and resting his head on his closed fist.

"Why are you sending me away?"

"I can't do this with you, Flynn. I just… I just can't. Get out of my head and my dreams and leave me alone. Please."

"You dream about me?"

"I hate you" she muttered.

"But do you?"

"Flynn… please" she felt the tears in her eyes and he grew concerned. "We do this several nights a week and then when I wake up, you aren't there and it hurts so much so I'm begging you. So, please. PLEASE! Please just go away."

"But this is my place." Lucy looked around, the sleep finally leaving her eyes.

"This isn't my bedroom?" She said quietly.

"Nope" he replied, pushing himself out of the chair.

Her eyes got wide. "You never do that" she whispered, frozen in her spot. He smiled, moving toward her slowly.

"So, let me understand. I torment you in your dreams by talking too much and never moving? Feels right."

"Flynn…" she whispered, reaching her hand out. He grabbed it, pulling her out of bed and she threw her arms around him, letting the tears flow freely. He held her tightly, telling her it was ok, that she was ok and that he was ok. Finally, her tears subsided and she felt Flynn start to release her, so she double downed on her grip around his neck. "Okay" he chuckled, holding her as he turned, falling back on the bed and scooting back till his back was agains the wall and she was in his lap. She burrowed her way into him, resting her head on his shoulder, gripping his t-shirt in her hand tightly. He sighed, adjusting his arms around her until they were both comfortable.

"This is real" she finally whispered, turning her head slightly to inhale his scent. She felt him nod. "It is" he replied. "Finally."

She sat up a bit, able to look him right in the eyes. She ran her hand through his hair and he sighed, leaning into her touch.

"I don't remember… how did we get out?"

"I carried you."

She looked at him confused for a moment, but then her eyes went wide. "That guy… you…"

Flynn nodded. "I shot him. And I would do it again. He was threatening you. He was…" Flynn paused, swallowing his words. "Lucy, he was the one who took you out of the bunker. I saw…"

"You saw…"

Normally his insomnia drove him crazy. But for some reason, tonight it didn't. He figured it had a lot to do with that kiss with Lucy before they came inside, biding each other a heartfelt good night, with just a little something else laced underneath. He waited till he heard no more movement and he grabbed his stuff to take a shower. The perks of barely sleeping – showering in the middle of the night let you have more than your fair share of hot water. He grabbed his towel off the hook when he heard… footsteps. More than one. Several pairs of footsteps. If he hadn't been trained and hadn't been awake, he would have never heard them. He dropped his towel, cursing himself of turning his last weapon into Denise before they left for dinner. He slowly opened his door and he heard whispers. Unfamiliar voices were speaking. He slowly walked down the hall and rounded the corner.

He froze. An unconscious Lucy was slung over the shoulder of some asshole in a cheap black suit. Flynn growled, ready to attack when the guy turned around and looked at him.

"I told you all to take care of Garcia Flynn FIRST! Do I have to do everything?" Flynn was about to pounce when he felt a sharp prick on his neck and then the world faded to black.

"I swore when I saw that guy again, I would take him out. And then when I did, he had you in his sights. Again. I saw red. I took care of him, scooped you up and ran out of there as fast as I could. Once we were all clear, Connor blew the whole place sky high."

Lucy ran her eyes over his face. She could see it all – the fear, the determination and something else.

"Wyatt said something interesting yesterday."

"That would be a first" Flynn replied, a smile on his face. Lucy rolled her eyes at him.

"He said that the reason you didn't contact me like you contacted Rufus and Denise and Jiya was because you wanted to stay focused on the task at hand. Is that…" she couldn't even finish the sentence. His hand came up, mimicking hers, resting on her cheek.

"Lucy Preston, I thought about you every day. Several times a day. I lasted about two weeks in that fucked up witness protection before I made my move. I would never let you live like that indefinitely. Ever. I had to be precise. And when you get added to my equation… well, you throw my precision off."

She nodded. "That's basically what Wyatt said." Flynn smiled. "You are something we have in common." She returned his smile. He adjusted his arms, bringing her around to kind of face him.

"Just ask" he said.

"What?"

"You have that look. Like you have a million questions in your head. Just ask them."

"OK, where the hell did you get all the money to do this? I mean, this house, that equipment…"

He chuckled. "I'm not quite the computer slouch I led you all to believe I was. I may have spent some time embezzling from Rittenhouse while I was there. It's amazing what a fraction of a percent is when there is millions and millions of dollars being funneled every day."

"Were these guys Rittenhouse?"

"I don't think so. I never got that impression. They were more focused on us and what we had been doing than on anything historical. I don't think they had a Lifeboat or ship or anything like that. But, just in case, it's why I had Connor blow the place up."

She ran her eyes over his face. She bit her lip, adjusting herself so she was straddling his hips. "One more question" she whispered.

"What's that?"

"Are you going to kiss me or what?"

He chuckled, digging his fingers into her hips, pulling her down against him. "You sure you done with the rest of your questions? Because… well, you need to understand something, Lucy."

"What's that?"

"That once I start kissing you, I don't plan on stopping for quite some time. I plan to map your entire body with my lips. I plan to take my time and…"

His words left his brain as he watched her reach down and pull her shirt over her head. She smiled at his slack face, enjoying having that power over him.

"What the hell are you waiting for, Garcia?"

* * *

She moaned, her voice echoing off the shower walls. She tried to focus on his face, but everything else he was doing to her made that impossible. After holding true to his word, she convinced him they needed a shower. The moment she saw the large bench in the walk in shower, she pushed him down on it.

He shifted forward slightly and the new angle elicited an strangled yell from her. She held on for dear life as she felt herself fall over the edge, again. She had lost track of how many times that had happened to her tonight. She found she just didn't care. He moaned her name as he followed her, his heavy accent making her name sound exotic.

She threw her arms over his shoulders, collapsing her head against him. They spent a few moments, surrounded by the steam of the shower, breathing and coming back down from the high they had spent the last few hours in.

"We should probably actually take a shower" he whispered in her ear. She giggled, slowly peeling herself off his lap. She grabbed a wash cloth and some soap, trying to force her body to feel normal again, and less like the jello it currently did.

She turned under the water, hair wet and found him staring at her. "That's hot" he said, smirking slightly. She rolled her eyes, quickly finishing and then motioning for him to stand up. She quickly took his spot on the bench. "My turn for show" she said, waving her hand at him.

They finally emerged from the bathroom, after one last moment against the door. Turns out watching him soap himself up in the shower is a hell of a turn on. Wrapped in her towel, he watched as he pulled her bag out from behind the chair he had been sitting in when she woke up. Without a word, he reached into a drawer, pulling out a grey t-shirt and handing it to her, smiling. She immediately recognized it – the shirt he was wearing that morning in the bunker, after her night of drinking. Gentle lover my ass she thought to herself as she watched him pull on a shirt and a pair of pajama pants.

"Sleep" he said, pulling back the covers before he stopped, turning toward her. "Unless… do you want to go back to the house and sleep there? I don't want to presume that…"

She threw her towel at him. "First, we spent a year apart. I'm not planning on leaving your side anytime soon. Secondly, making me cum bent over your couch earns me the right to sleep wherever I damn well please and I plan for it to be in that bed, using you as my own personal heater and pillow." His mouth fell open for a moment and then he started to laugh.

"Language" he replied, motioning for her to get in. She crawled in and he followed, reaching over to turn out the lamp and wrapping his arm around her.

"You swear to be here in the morning?" She asked.

"I can't imagine being anywhere else" he replied.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing she encountered was not what she used to encountering first thing in the morning – which was her pillow. This morning, it was the hard plane of Garcia Flynn's shoulder. And for the first time in over a year, she woke up with some hope. Some future. With the real Garcia Flynn next to her, instead of some dream fragment that left her alone and frustrated.

She shook him. No response. She shook him again and she saw him try to hide his smile. She glared at him and threw her legs over his waist, so she straddled his laying form.

"I like this wake up call."

"Shut up. I'm hungry. I demand breakfast."

He cracked an eye open. "Demand?"

She shook her head. "Demand. We worked up an appetite last night and I want breakfast. And coffee. Lots of coffee."

"Goes without saying."

She moved off of him, grabbing the last of her clean clothes out of the bag. "And then maybe some laundry facilities."

She looked back and saw him watching her, propped up on his elbows, sheets pooling at his waist. She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "You. You stop that."

"What?"

She glared at him. "You know exactly what. Knock it off. I want food. I'm going to brush my teeth. I expected you to be decent when I get back."

"Yes dear" he replied as she closed the bathroom door.

000

The smell of a full array of breakfast choices hit Lucy's nose as they walked in the back door of the house.

"That's almost obscene" she said, taking in the spread of food.

"Right?" Rufus said, walking in from the dining room. "Who knew Connor likes to cook American breakfast so much."

Lucy grabbed a plate and started loading it up as Flynn went off in search of coffee. Jiya pounced the moment he left the kitchen.

"One question" she whispered as she slid up next to Lucy.

"What's that?" Lucy said, not taking her eyes off the pancakes.

"Sex with Flynn. Hot or fucking hot?" Lucy about dropped her plate as she looked at her friend, with a shit eating grin on her face.

Jiya held up her hand. "And don't try to deny it. Please. First, you look more relaxed than you have since I showed up at your apartment. Second, you have sex hair. You should go find a brush before you go out there. Third, if you didn't immediately hit that, I would wonder if you had lost your mind. So, hot or fucking hot?"

Lucy shook her head slightly at her friend. "I may have blacked out a couple of times good. Fucking hot isn't expressive enough. Happy?"

Jiya popped a strawberry in her mouth. "Good for you."

Lucy moved into the dining room and set her plate down when she heard the front door open. A huge smile spilt her face as Wyatt walked in holding a baby girl on his hip, Jessica trailing behind him. Jessica caught her eye and ran over, throwing her arms around Lucy.

"Thank you" she said, voice laced with tears. "Thank you for believing and not leaving me alone." Jessica pulled back, resting her hands on Lucy's shoulders. "Lucy, I'm sorry isn't enough. It will never be enough. You saved our little girl."

Lucy rested her hands on top of Jessica's. "Being angry gets us no where. We are all here. Healthy. Alive. Together. That's what matters. I'm glad she's ok. What's her name?"

"Caroline." They both looked over at Wyatt holding the little girl in his arms. "He's going to be an amazing dad" Lucy said. Jessica nodded, turning back to her. "Come on" Lucy said, "there is enough food for an army in the kitchen. Go get some food."

Soon, they were all sitting around the table, eating and laughing. Lucy watched as everyone stared at Flynn in awe when he talked about how he had financed this operation. "I mean, it's not like Rittenhouse can file a complaint with the IRS and FBI" he said, taking a bite of his bacon. Denise started to laugh and soon they were all joining in.

"So what happens to this house now?" Denise asked when they had all calmed down.

"There's a group home in town that is in desperate need of a new facility. They help kids who can't go home. The crew comes tomorrow to cut an actual drive way in off the road and I'm going to sell it to them for a dollar."

Lucy smiled at him, wondering how, when they first met, she didn't see the man that was beneath the anger and hurt and rage.

* * *

Lucy watched the last car with Denise, Connor, Rufus and Jiya pull away from the house. Flynn wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

"Now what?" She asked.

"Now, we live. Tomorrow, you and I leave this house behind, go drop the keys off to the director of the group home and we live. Where do you want to go?"

Lucy shrugged. For a year she had no choice. She had stopped thinking about what was next. "I honestly have no idea."

"Do you want to go back to your job?"

"NO!" She said, vehemently.

"Do you need to go back for anything? I wouldn't mind scaring that creepy boss of yours a little bit." She laughed. Not that she wouldn't enjoy watching Flynn make that asshole pee his pants a little bit, but she had no desire to revisit any part of the last year.

She turned in his arms, resting her hands on his chest. "Thank you." He smiled down at her. "For what?" He asked.

"For saving me. For saving all of us. You could have just freed yourself and disappeared. No one would have blamed you."

"I could have never done that, Lucy?"

"Why? Why did you do all of this? Why are you here?" That question that she had asked all that time ago, but never got an answer to.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm here for you, Lucy. I always have been and I always will be. I love you. That's why I'm here. And why I was there. It's because of love." She pulled him down, kissing him softly for just a moment.

"So, tomorrow we head out. What ever will we do until then?" She smiled, slipping out of his arms and walking back into the house. He stopped in the doorway, watching her move slowly toward the steps that led upstairs. She paused on the first step and turned, locking on his gaze. She slowly removed her shirt and her bra, throwing them away from her. He pushed himself off the door jam, ripping his shirt off his body and picking her up off the step, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his waist. She sighed loudly as their skin met.

"Which room?" He asked, moving slowly up the steps.

"Surprise me" she replied. "I plan to get to all of them before we leave tomorrow." He laughed louder than she had ever heard him laugh as he turned down the hallway.

* * *

 _6 months later_

"You ready for this?" Wyatt asked as she took his arm. She nodded and they took the first step.

She smiled as they all came into view, this small but important rag-tag family that had come together over the impossible. She found the eyes she had been most looking for, the eyes she hadn't been allowed to see since yesterday morning. "It's bad luck!" Jiya yelled at her as they pulled Lucy out their front door. He just smiled and waved and Lucy got into the front seat of Jiya's car.

And there he was, white shirt and linen pants, the ocean as their back drop, standing next to Connor, who had jumped at the chance to get ordained online, just for them.

"About time" he said as she got in front of him. "That new?" He asked, waving his hand in front of her white dress.

"Shut up" she said, rolling her eyes. "I haven't eaten yet today, so how about we get this show on the road."

"Romantic" he replied.

"If you two are quite done…" Connor said, glancing between them. They both nodded at him. "Friends, we are here today to celebrate, as Jiya would say, these two FINALLY getting married. Since nothing about any of us is traditional, I thought why start now. Garcia?"

Lucy looked up at him. He glanced around quickly before turning his attention back to her. "Lucy. The truth is, I always thought my life would end early. After Lorena and Iris died, I came here before I ran. I wasn't sure if I would ever see this place again. Part of me wondered if I would die here, surrounded by the dunes and the water. But then… you. In the light of the Hindenburg… you. Not the you in the journal, but the real you. The fiery, passionate, amazing you. And then one day I realized, my life was in the form of a brilliant, short historian…" she rolled her eyes at him, mostly to keep the tears from falling… "and I knew that… well, that sometimes what you think is destiny or canon or whatever you want to call it… doesn't have to be. So I chose to live. And that led us here, to this place, to us."

"Damn Flynn!" Jiya yelled from behind them.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "I can't top that. Just know that I love you. I have loved you for a long time. Our life will be crazy and unique and I cannot wait to see what it holds."

"Rings?" Denise produced them, handing one to Flynn and one to Lucy.

Flynn grabbed her hand. "So you ready to be my wife?"

"Hell yeah" she replied as he slipped the band on to her hand. He held up his left hand to her. "You ready to be my husband?"

"I can't imagine wanting anything more, Lucy". She put the ring on his finger, smiling brightly as she did.

"You two" Connor muttered. "Well, with the power vested in me by the World Wide Web, I give you the Flynns! You may kiss… oh why do I even bother?" Flynn had grabbed her the moment she slipped the ring on his finger, kissing her hard.

"To the Flynns!" Jessica yelled and they all applauded.


End file.
